"The tone and building dread reminds me of classic Stephen King. Great velocity and impact, and super creepy. Don't go in the basement!" Welcome! For a limited time last summer we gave away the eBook and the Audiobook of The Painted Darkness by Brian James Freeman for FREE on this website as an experiment to see if word of mouth about the free editions would help sell the print version. Did it work? The short answer is: yes, absolutely! Cemetery Dance Publications sold thousands of copies of the hardcover after our experiment was launched, many more than expected, and the orders are still pouring in today. In fact, the first printing of the hardcover SOLD OUT on the day of publication and a second printing had to be rushed! The download offer on this website ended last summer, but then something very cool happened: WOWIO.com selected The Painted Darkness to be their “Free Book of the Month" for October, which meant they gave it away for free for that entire month! And what a month October proved to be! In just the first two weeks alone, The Painted Darkness was downloaded more times than any previous "Free Book of the Month" had been downloaded in the history of WOWIO.com's program! All told, between the two promotions, more than 30,000 readers were able to "Download the Darkness" and try this book for free months before the hardcover came out. But there's one more phase to our marketing experiment... We've now posted the eBook edition on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes & Noble, and the iBookstore for just $2.99 (more than 85% off the hardcover retail price) and you can download and read the edition TODAY if you don't want to wait for the hardcover!
About The Painted Darkness: Twenty years later, Henry makes his living by painting his disturbing works of art. He loves his wife and his son, and life couldn't be better... except there's something not quite right about the old stone farmhouse his family now calls home. There's something strange living in the cramped cellar, in the maze of pipes that feed the ancient steam boiler. A winter storm is brewing, and soon Henry will learn the true nature of the monster waiting for him down in the darkness. He will battle this demon and, in the process, he may discover what really happened when he was a child — and why, in times of trouble, he thinks: I paint against the darkness. But will Henry learn the truth in time to avoid the terrible fate awaiting him... or will the thing in the cellar get him and his family first? Written as both a meditation on the art of creation and as an examination of the secret fears we all share, The Painted Darkness is a terrifying look at the true cost we pay when we run from our grief — and what happens when we're finally forced to confront the monsters we know all too well. Reviews of The Painted Darkness: "Lovingly written and lovingly packaged, this slim novella (a scant 175 pages) manages to make poignant observations about art, imagination and even love — all while scaring the standing water out of us... The fears Freeman marshals here are both familiar and primal — a deep woods and a dark cellar — but his inviting prose and inventive imagery bring fresh perspectives to them, while propelling us as each section progresses... one of the more satisfying and fulfilling horror stories you’re likely to read this year." "Simply put, The Painted Darkness is one of those rare novellas that offers more than your standard genre novel; it's a study of one man's battle with his imagination, how it has harmed and also helped him. It displays fears that all adults harbor, and builds tension slowly but surely... Do yourself a favor and check this one out. Jill Bauman provides some fantastic interior artwork, and Brian Keene offers a brief introduction that'll psyche any reader up." "The Painted Darkness is one of the best stories I’ve read this year... We all have childhood demons of one kind or another and this story really struck a chord with me. Mr. Freeman takes you on a journey that is both dark and uplifting. This story will scare the hell out of you and also bring a tear to your eyes." "Freeman has written a memorable tale of how our fears contribute to our creativity and what can happen if we wait too long to confront them. It is a touching and terrifying novel that will make an impression that will definitely last." "Quite possibly one of the darkest, most beautifully written books I've seen this year." "This book... is not to be missed. A well-written suspense tale that will frighten and touch." "His writing oozes with classic Stephen King style. Brian’s pacing and storytelling were spot-on, invoking a sense of fear and chills as I read, and in the end he took me by surprise with a refreshing twist." |
Early Praise for The Painted Darkness: "The tone and building dread reminds me of classic Stephen King. Great velocity and impact, and super creepy. Don't go in the basement!" "Brian James Freeman's evocative tale about the dark corners of an artist's imagination is elegant and haunting." "Spooky stuff!" "The Painted Darkness is a dark, terrifying, and deeply moving gem of a novella. Brian James Freeman managed to both scare me and move me to tears." "The Painted Darkness delves into territory that fascinates so many of us — the fine lines between beauty and horror, faith and fear, art and the unconscious. Both a wonderful allegory and a gripping read, Brian James Freeman has written a taut, memorable tale." "Wonderfully reminiscent of the quiet horror of Charles L. Grant, The Painted Darkness takes readers on a gently chilly walk through the forest of fears both conscious and subconscious. With Straubian lyricism, Brian James Freeman evokes not only the irrational terrors of childhood, but addresses the roots of creativity and the vital importance of art. A very impressive achievement." |
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